Two weeks later…
Becca and Jennie stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing their reflections. They were preparing for the crucial meeting with Wildcat, and they wanted to make a lasting impression. Becca, with her long black hair, adjusted her blazer for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Do I look professional enough?" she asked Jennie, her voice laced with a hint of uncertainty.
Jennie, tall and slender with long blonde hair, gave her friend a reassuring smile. "You look amazing, Becca. "That blazer was a great choice. She turned her attention to her own reflection, smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress.
The two girls had been friends since college, and after graduating, they had decided to work hard together no matter what. This meeting was a huge opportunity for them, and they were determined to nail it. Jennie had met the client before introducing Becca. She was eager to make sure they didn't lose this opportunity. After all, Becca was the bait to get every gig she needed in the modeling industry. She glanced at her watch, remembering how Becca had been late to their first meeting.
"Come on, Becca, let's get going," Jennie said, nudging her friend.
"You don't want to be late again. "I've already apologized once for your tardiness." Becca laughed and playfully rolled her eyes.
As they finished getting ready, Becca's phone buzzed. She'd earlier set an alarm, courtesy of Jennie, the previous day, warning her not to be late, but, ironically, Jennie had come for a sleepover and now both of them would be heading out for the meeting together. " It's just 12 o'clock, you see. "
"That gives us a few extra minutes to get there on time. Remember what we rehearsed last night? You must nail it, unlike last time when your voice was shaky and cranky. "You have got to act like you're game, got it ?."
" Got it "
They sat down on the couch, laptops open, and began to rehearse their pitch. As they spoke, their confidence grew. They knew their stuff, and they were ready to impress.
When the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their breakfast, Jennie stood up, smoothing out her dress. "Okay, Becca, let's do this. "I'll introduce you, and then you can take over." Becca nodded, taking a deep breath.
Wildcat pinched Rebecca, causing the young lady to startle after their handshake, her eyes narrowing as she assessed Becca's transformation. She leaned in a bit
inspecting her appearance. Satisfied with the cosmetic results, she handed Becca paperwork to sign.
"May I read these before signing?" Becca asked, noticing Wildcat's fleeting unease.
"Dear, I'm pressed for time. We've already agreed on the terms. Just sign," Wildcat urged impatiently.
However, Becca's hesitation infuriated Wildcat. "Sign it now!" she snapped.
Trembling, Becca scanned the documents hastily while signing. Wildcat's haste and harsh tone unsettled her.
"Thank you, au revoir," Wildcat said, departing swiftly. Leaving Rebecca even more conflicted
Wildcat and Jennifer huddled in a corner, just out of earshot of Becca, who was reminiscing about signing documents nearby. They whispered to each other, making it impossible for Becca to catch any snippets of their conversation, despite her best efforts to eavesdrop. Just as she thought she'd picked up on something, Wildcat abruptly walked away.
Becca sat frozen. She remembered scanning the documents, her mind constantly flashing the images of the words she spotted. Some disturbing phrases such as: "submissive," "surrender," "body," and "sex." Her mind recoiled in fear.
"God, what have I gotten myself into?" she thought;panic set in.
Shaking off the ominous feelings.
"Stay positive," she reminded herself.
Shaking off unease, Becca joined Jennifer in a taxi. They stopped by Becca's place for snacks before shopping for clothes for Friday's event.
** Chen Enterprise**
" I'd go, fine, but that doesn't mean we have to be together .... Like I said before , I don't like her and I never will." Xavier reluctantly agreed to the date.
It was obvious his mum was the one on the other line.
Raymond watched his friend struggle, sensing his distress.
Xavier slammed the phone onto his desk, prompting Raymond's caution, "Hey, don't break it. Not everyone can afford one. "I've told you several times to calm down", Raymond said.
The chill Raymond got from Xavier this time was worse than last week, so the guy had to ask "What's wrong?"
" I have a date with Valerie Steel "
Xavier replied, his annoyance obvious, but only made Raymond laugh more.
" It's not funny ", Xavier said.
" It may not be, but your expression isn't", Raymond said and chuckled a little bit more before quieting down.
" Why won't I look like that? Isn't it obvious I don't want to go, but I must? "It's just to honor my parents and the bitch's parents too ", Xavier said.
Raymond countered, "You need a break from work. You've achieved enough, and you're doing great with your dad's business. You need a woman in your life."
Xavier retorted, "Not until you get a woman first."
"I do, remember?" Ramond clapped back.
"Unmarried, doesn't count bro" Xavier said with a slight laughter.
As they bantered, Xavier's reluctance to commit stemmed from past wounds.
He walked towards the glass window elegantly. He was indeed hot.
A tall, muscular and handsome young man of 27, he was well-built.
He had a sexy-looking masculine body with his sexy abs. All his workout really paid off.
Raymond admired his friend's physique – tall, muscular, and handsome. All the reasons why ladies droll over him.
Xavier graduated from UCLA with a first class degree, although people did not believe it, but the guy was really intelligent, and he earned his degree on his own.
He was every lady's dream, even the female workers in the company always drooled over him, and he was aware that they did, but he didn't want to get involved in a relationship.
He preferred being single and enjoying pleasure from sex workers in hotels than being committed because he'd suffered heartbreak before.
" Xavier, you're the older one here "
" Who cares? You're the one good with women, not me. I only enjoy it when they please me. "
Xavier said and smirked mischievously.
Raymond immediately declined Xavier's suggestion. "I'm not filling in for you."
Xavier persisted, "Shut up, you'd just be my Winged Man."